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Caster
Caster is the name of two identical abilities in Master of Magic. One is a Unit Ability while the other is a Hero Ability, and thus adhere to slightly different rules - but they have the same exact effect. The Caster ability gives the unit its own pool, as well as the ability to cast a certain variety of spells during combat. If the unit also has a , it will use its own as ammunition to fuel this attack. The size of the unit's pool is noted in parentheses after the name of the ability, e.g. "Caster ( )". Fractions are possible, but they are rounded down automatically whenever the unit is in combat, and are only mentioned for completionism. Thus "Caster ( )" becomes "Caster ( )". There is a total of 20 units in the game that possess Caster by default. The majority (17) of these units are Heroes, while 3 are Fantastic Units. The repertoire of spells available for each of these units is different. Except for Torin, all units that possess the Caster ability also have a , meaning that they use to fuel these attacks. All Heroes' pools increase in size with each Experience Level. They gain an amount of equal to the amount they had at level 1 ("Hero"). Heroes may occasionally use up some or all of their Random Abilities to increase the size of the original pool, and thus gain more with each level. Note that Alorra, who does not have Caster by default, may or may not be able to gain this ability thanks to her Random Abilities (this requires more research). Description Wizards are not the only ones who can cast spells. There are many magicians in the game, some of whom are limited to a single spell, and others capable of casting a whole variety of spells. The Caster ability refers specifically to those units that have access to a number of spells. For such units, the Caster ability also indicates the amount of power they can muster. Similar to a wizard's Spell Skill, it dictates the maximum strength of the spells they can cast, and the number of such spells they can cast in each battle. For the majority of Casters, availability also dictates how many Ranged Attacks they can perform during each battle. Effect The Caster ability is perhaps the most unique - and most complex - ability in the game. Describing it is simple: Caster gives a unit its own pool, and allows it to cast spells. Understanding what this means for a unit is significantly more difficult. There are three aspects that must be discussed separately regarding the Caster ability: * The size of a unit's pool. * Spellcasting itself, and the repertoire of spells available to the unit. * The use of as ammunition for a unit's . The first two points are almost entirely different from one unit to the other. Mana Pool First and foremost, the Caster ability gives the unit its own pool. As explained below, this behaves like a wizard's own and Spell Skill combined: the unit can use its to cast spells, and is limited in both the strength and number of spells it can cast based on its available . In addition, determines how many the unit can perform each combat turn. The size of the unit's pool is determined by the strength of the Caster ability, as well as the unit's Experience Level. Of course, Fantastic Units have no Experience, and thus will have the same pool for the duration of their existence. Heroes, on the other hand, have a pool that grows in size with each level they gain. For Heroes, the amount of they have at level 1 ("Hero") is the exact amount by which their pool grows with each additional level. Thus, if the Hero had to start with, he'll get with each additional level, up to at level 9 ("Demi-God"). Note that for many Heroes the pool and the bonus acquired at each level may contain fractions, such as . If this is the case, then the fractions are ignored - they're only important whenever they add up to whole numbers. Thus, a Hero's details panel will show the rounded-down value. Mana Pool Modifiers A wide variety of Magical Items can be imbued with bonuses that directly increase the size of a Hero's , whenever they are worn. This bonus may be imbued into any weapon and any Jewelry piece. The bonus is actually called a "Spell Skill" bonus, which is somewhat appropriate given that, for a Hero, and Spell Skill are the same exact thing. The maximum bonus to be found on a Sword, Mace, Axe, Bow or Wand is . The maximum on a single Jewelry piece is , but many Heroes can wear two of these simultaneously for a total . Staves can grant . This bonus is a completely "flat" bonus: The Hero's pool is increased by exactly the amount listed in the bonus, regardless of the Hero's current Experience Level. If the item is ever removed, the Hero's pool is reduced back to its "normal" size. Spellcasting Any unit possessing the Caster ability is capable of casting spells during combat, in the same way that a wizard casts spells. The Hero has a certain repertoire of spells they can use (sometimes depending on which spells are available to the unit's employer), and can cast any spell for which he/she has sufficient remaining. To cast spells with a Caster unit, the unit must have at least 0.5 Movement Points remaining. Select the unit, and click the "Spell" button. In most cases, a list will pop up allowing you to select whether you'd like to cast a spell yourself (using Spell Skill and your own wizard's pool), or whether you wish the selected unit to cast a spell. If the unit is chosen from this list, the game opens a spellbook showing all spells available to this specific unit. As normal, spells for which the unit does not have sufficient to cast are greyed-out and cannot be selected. Other spells are available, and the number of realm icons underneath the spell's name indicate how many times the unit could cast this spell before it runs out of . Once the unit casts the spell, its Movement Points are immediately reduced to 0 and it cannot perform any other action (or cast any more spells) until the next turn begins. Remember that the unit expends its own to cast the selected spell. Therefore, the wizard's own and Spell Skill are untouched. Furthermore, because the Caster is on the battlefield, he/she does not suffer any Spellcasting Range penalties - they pay only the spell's basic Casting Cost. Also note that the wizard's own Retorts do not alter this Casting Cost in any way. Finally, note that Caster units cannot cast any overland spells. There is no method by which to do so. They can only cast spells during combat. Mana as Ammunition Practically all units possessing the Caster ability also possess a . You'll note that none of these units have an Ammunition count, which often appears in the details panel of Ranged Attack units. This is because Casters expend their own in order to perform such attacks - and thus are limited by the amount of Mana they have remaining. Each costs exactly to perform. When the attack is made, the Caster's pool is automatically decreased appropriately. If the unit has fewer than remaining, it may not make any Ranged Attack for the remainder of the battle. As a result, Caster units must decide whether to expend their available on Ranged Attacks or on casting spells. In some situations it may be better to opt for direct damage with Ranged Attacks. In others, spell-casting may be more important. Exceptions : :Torin the Chosen is the only Hero that has Caster but absolutely no Ranged Attack of any kind. Thus, he can spend all of his on casting spells. :Marcus the Ranger only possesses a . He has an Ammunition x8 ability, meaning that he can only make 8 Ranged Attacks per battle. These attacks do not draw any from his pool, allowing him to spend it all on spell-casting. :Finally, it is theoretically possible for Alorra the Elven Archer to gain the Caster ability (though this has not yet been proven). If so, she will behave the same as Marcus, spending no on her - instead using up Ammunition. Improvement Table The table below shows the exact size of a Caster Hero's pool at each Experience level, based on the amount of Mana he/she has at level 1 (this is the "strength" of the Hero's Caster ability). Remember that for Fantastic Units possessing Caster, the size of the pool will never change. Note that for the purposes of this table, all values have been rounded down - giving the actual amount of that the unit will have whenever it enters combat. Units with Default Caster There are exactly 20 units in the game that possess Caster by default. 3 of these are Fantastic Units, but the majority are Heroes. The table below lists the default pool available for each of these. Remember that Heroes' pool will increase with level (see above). Fantastic Units Heroes For a comparison of starting pool sizes, see below. Aerie the Illusionist Aureus the Golden One Elana the Priestess Greyfairer the Druid Malleus the Magician Marcus the Ranger Morgana the Witch Mystic X the Unknown Rakir the Beastmaster Ravashack the Necromancer Reywind the Warrior Mage Serena the Healer Torin the Chosen Valana the Bard Warrax the Chaos Warrior Yramrag the Warlock Zaldron the Sage Acquiring and Upgrading Caster There is exactly one case where it is possible for a unit that does not possess Caster by default to acquire this ability. This occurs when Alorra the Elven Archer (who is not listed above) chooses Caster as one of her Random Abilities. In fact, this is only theoretically possible, as we do not yet have conclusive evidence that she can choose Caster at all - but it should theoretically be possible. Other than Alorra, 11 out of the 17 Heroes listed above can upgrade their default Caster ability by picking it as one or more of their Random Abilities. This is done completely at random just before a new campaign begins. The maximum number of times a Hero can upgrade his/her Caster ability is only limited by the number of Random Abilities the Hero may pick. Each time a Hero picks the Caster ability, he/she gains to his/her starting Mana pool size. As explained earlier, the starting pool increases with each Experience Level the Hero gains, by the size of the initial pool. Therefore, with each additional Caster pick, the Hero also receives for every Experience Level he/she gains. This is described in the Improvement Table section above. The table below shows the default starting pool of each Hero, and the maximum pool he/she may have if all Random Abilities were invested into upgrading the Caster ability. Remember that due to the random nature of the picks, it is unlikely for a Hero to pick this ability more than twice (if at all). It is, however, statistically possible. * Alorra may or may not be able to pick Caster at all. If corroborating evidence is found, this message will be removed. ** Torin may occasionally reach , which is the largest possible starting pool of any Hero. Repertoire Each Caster has a certain repertoire of spells he or she may cast. This depends entirely on the specific unit or Hero - with almost every unit having a slightly different repertoire. Spells that are not in a unit's repertoire cannot be cast at all. The rules on which spells are included in a unit's repertoire are simple: # Fantastic Units with Caster may cast any spell belonging to the same Magical Realm as the unit itself. This often includes spells that are currently unknown to the unit's employer. # Heroes can cast any spell that their employer can cast. # Many Heroes have additional spells that they can cast by default, whether or not these spells are known the employer. The table below lists each Caster and the details of its repertoire. Note that for Heroes, rule #2 above always applies, so the list only shows extra spells that the Hero has always access to, if any. * This assumes Alorra can get the Caster ability at all... Always remember that some spells, despite being in a unit's repertoire, may or may not be available for casting until the unit can somehow acquire sufficient to cast the spell (usually only Heroes can do this, see above).